Thursday, February 8th 2024
German Court Prohibits Intel Processor Sales Amid Patent Dispute
According to Financial Times, a regional court in Düsseldorf, Germany, created a significant setback for Intel on Wednesday, issuing an injunction prohibiting sales of some of its processors due to allegations they infringe on a patent held by R2 Semiconductor. R2, a technology firm based in Palo Alto, California, accused Intel of violating its patent related to processor voltage regulation. The ruling applies to Intel's 10th, 11th, and 12th generation Core processors, known as Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, and Alder Lake, as well as its Ice Lake Xeon server SKUs. Newer processors generations (13th, 14th, etc.) don't infringe the patent. Even though Intel noted that it plans to appeal the decision, the ramifications could extend beyond the company itself. Industry experts warn the court order could lead to a sweeping ban on products containing the disputed Intel chips, including laptops and pre-built PCs from major manufacturers like HP and Dell. R2 has waged an ongoing legal fight across multiple jurisdictions to defend its intellectual property.
After initially filing suit against Intel in the United States, R2 shifted its efforts to Germany and other European countries after its patent was invalidated stateside. Intel strongly denied R2's patent infringement claims, alleging the company's entire business model relies on extracting legal settlements through serial litigation. Intel believes the injunction serves only R2's financial interests while harming consumers, businesses, and the economy. The two firms traded barbs in official statements about the case. R2's CEO, David Fisher, rebuffed Intel's characterization of his company, saying it has only targeted Intel for infringement of its clear IP rights. As the war of words continues, the practical impact of the German court's decision remains uncertain, pending Intel's appeal. However, the preliminary injunction demonstrates the massive financial consequences at stake in battles over technological patents.
Source:
Financial Times
After initially filing suit against Intel in the United States, R2 shifted its efforts to Germany and other European countries after its patent was invalidated stateside. Intel strongly denied R2's patent infringement claims, alleging the company's entire business model relies on extracting legal settlements through serial litigation. Intel believes the injunction serves only R2's financial interests while harming consumers, businesses, and the economy. The two firms traded barbs in official statements about the case. R2's CEO, David Fisher, rebuffed Intel's characterization of his company, saying it has only targeted Intel for infringement of its clear IP rights. As the war of words continues, the practical impact of the German court's decision remains uncertain, pending Intel's appeal. However, the preliminary injunction demonstrates the massive financial consequences at stake in battles over technological patents.
23 Comments on German Court Prohibits Intel Processor Sales Amid Patent Dispute
Looks like R2 lost the same fight in US courts and now went for it in Germany. While Intel effectively calling them a patent troll is not amusing, this does not seem to bode well for R2.
its written in a way that I can’t make up of intel is doing Something wrong without reading it completely
www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/german-court-issues-injunction-against-sales-of-select-intel-cpus
Does R2 actually produce a product?
Intel just got what it has done to AMD for decades.
Intel just reaps what they sowed.www.extremetech.com/computing/184323-intel-stuck-with-1-45-billion-fine-in-europe-for-unfair-and-damaging-practices-against-amd
this is a patent troll that describes something similar to what intel did
Images below (source: United States Patent And Trademark Office) from the 250 Patent filed on Dec. 23 2009 and granted on July 31 2012. This is the Patent that seems to have been invalidated by the U.S. courts.
On August 31 2024 an Intel source said that "Intel and R2 today announced an agreement to dismiss all litigation between the two companies. R2 will also dismiss all litigation against Intel customers Dell, HP, HPE, Fujitsu and AWS. The parties are pleased to have resolved the dispute on mutually agreed-upon terms. The terms of the resolution are confidential."